In project management a hierarchical delivery oriented breakdown of project into individual components is called as work breakdown structure (WBS). WBS decomposes project into individual functions, deliverables and work packages that facilitates resource allocation, assignment of responsibilities, and measurement and control of the project.
Block Diagram explains the Work Breakdown Structure:
Design Principle for WBS:
The design principles for WBS are as following: * 100% Rule:
The 100% rule principle guides the development, decomposition and evaluation of the WBS. The 100% rule states that the WBS includes 100% of the work defined by the project scope and captures all deliverables of the work to be completed, including project management. * Mutually exclusive elements: In addition to the 100% rule, the individual elements of WBS should be mutually exclusive of each other in their definition, in order to avoid mis-communication between elements and confusion regarding project cost accounting. WBS dictionary is used for the purpose of avoiding ambiguity and clarifying the distinctions between WBS elements. * Level of detail :
Level of detail help in determining the end point for division of work necessary to produce a deliverable defined by the WBS. There are several "rules of thumb" used for determining duration of an activity necessary to produce a specific deliverable defined by the WBS.
* Terminal element: A terminal element is the lowest element in a work breakdown structure that is estimated in terms of resource requirements, budget and duration. Work packages are established at the juncture of WBS elements based on which the project performance is planned and controlled.
Steps for Creating a WBS: 1. Define the project’s end product. It forms the root of the Work Breakdown Structure document. 2. Define the main deliverables which are the main components of the project’s end product. These